Hosts England take on Pakistan in the third and final ODI of the series at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Tuesday afternoon. It is part of the ICC ODI Super League.

Playing a second-string side, England sealed a series victory with one match still remaining. Losing the toss and batting first at Lord’s, England won the match by a comfortable margin of 52 runs. Half centuries from Phil Salt and James Vince helped England to a good score before the bowlers took over. Saqib Mahmood proved once again that he is worthy of a place in the first-choice team, while all-rounder Lewis Gregory was brilliant with both bat and ball. With the series now won, expected a number of changes in the playing XI.

Despite an improved performance with the ball from the first game, Pakistan’s batting let them down once again as they were bowled out for just 195, leading to a second successive defeat in the series. Although Saud Shakeel put up some resistance with a half century, it was Hasan Ali who showed the most fight for Pakistan in both the departments. A number of players like opener Imam ul-Haq and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf seem to be out of form and are in the danger of losing their place in this match.

Although England are favorites to complete a white-wash, Pakistan will be looking to get one back in the series with the help of a superior bowling quality. Expect an exciting game of ODI cricket at the loud Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Match Details

• Match: England vs. Pakistan, 3rd ODI
• Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
• Date & Time: July 13, 2021, at 5:30 PM IST/1 PM Local

Probable Playing XI

England

Phil Salt, Dawid Malan, Zak Crawley, James Vince, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Duckett (WK), Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Matt Parkinson, Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood

Pakistan

Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Saud Shakeel, Sohaib Maqsood, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf 

Weather and Pitch Report

Birmingham is expected to have cloudy weather with occasional thunderstorms on the day of the match. The temperature will be around 21 degrees during the game. 

The pitch at the Edgbaston will allow for a good battle between the bat and the ball. Batters will dominate despite some swing and seam movement in the initial few overs for the bowlers. The pitch will slow down as the match progresses, bringing the spinners into play in the second innings. The average first-innings score in the last five ODIs played here has been 270 runs. 

The team batting second has a good record at this venue, winning 4 out of the last 6 games played. Given the iffy weather forecast, expect the captain winning the toss to opt to field first. A score of around 250 runs should be a competitive one here.

Top Fantasy Picks

England

• Dawid Malan was not able to repeat his good show from the first match, as he was dismissed for a duck at Lord’s. He looked very composed scoring an unbeaten 68 runs in the first ODI and would want to capitalize on this opportunity of scoring runs at the top of the order.
• James Vince showed his quality with the bat in the second ODI, after the loss of 2 early wickets. Mixing caution with aggression, he put up a steady partnership and brought up his second ODI half-century in the process. He will look to continue scoring runs here.
• Saqib Mahmood proved once again that he is more than deserving of a place in the main England side. He was fast and was continuously troubling the batters with his lengths. He has taken 6 wickets in 2 matches at an economy of 3.5 in the series so far.

Pakistan

• Dawid Malan was not able to repeat his good show from the first match, as he was dismissed for a duck at Lord’s. He looked very composed while scoring an unbeaten 68 runs in the first ODI. He will look to capitalize on this opportunity of scoring runs at the top of the order.
• James Vince showed his quality with the bat in the second ODI after the loss of 2 early wickets. Mixing caution with aggression, he put up a steady partnership and brought up his second ODI half century in the process. He will look to continue scoring runs here.
• Saqib Mahmood proved once again that he is more than deserving of a place in the main England side. He was fast and was continuously troubling the batters with his lengths. He has taken 6 wickets in two matches at an economy rate of 3.5 in the series so far.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeeper: M Rizwan
• Batsmen: D Malan, J Vince, B Azam
• All-rounders: B Stokes, L Gregory, S Khan, S Shakeel
• Bowlers: S Mahmood, C Overton, H Ali

• Captain: J Vince/S Mahmood
• Vice Captain: S Khan/B Azam

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your fantasy 11 and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!